Management Team

Dr. Mhamed Ibnabdeljalil

Director, Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Ibnabdeljalil is a senior executive with over 20 years experience in sales, marketing, raw material procurement, logistics, complex deal structuring, negotiation and M&A in both emerging and developed markets. Dr. Ibnabdeljalil is the Founder and Managing Partner at Spika Ventures LLC, a strategic advisory and corporate development firm focused on natural resources, basic materials (including fertilizers) and industrials sectors. Dr. Ibnabdeljalil previously served as the EVP and Chief Commercial Officer of OCP Group S.A. (“OCP”) where he played an integral role in the corporate, strategic and commercial restructuring that reshaped OCP’s role as a global leader in the phosphate fertilizer sector. Dr. Ibnabdeljalil has served on more than a dozen boards of mining, chemical, shipping, and trading companies and industry associations in Europe, India, Africa and the Americas and currently serves on the board of Innophos Holdings Inc. Dr. Ibnabdeljalil holds a Bachelor and Master of Aeronautical Engineering from London University and a Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mathematics from Cornell University.

George Burdette

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Burdette is a senior executive with over 12 years of corporate development, financial, commercial and investment management experience. Mr. Burdette has led or supported over US$8 billion of acquisitions, divestitures, mergers and financings in the US and in various emerging markets. Prior to joining Itafos, he was head of Americas project finance at First Solar where he was responsible for project financing and commercial initiatives in the US, Latin America and South Africa. Prior to First Solar, Mr. Burdette was a principal at Zaff Capital where he was responsible for investments across a wide range of industry sectors (including agriculture and fertilizers) and emerging markets and developed the firm’s investment process, policies and procedures. Prior to Zaff Capital, Mr. Burdette worked in the business development group at AEI where he played a key role in shaping corporate strategy and led various corporate and business development initiatives and portfolio company optimizations and supported the enterprise risk management group. Mr. Burdette has served as a strategic and financial advisor to both private equity firms and major utilities. Mr. Burdette holds a Bachelor of Arts in international business and French from Wofford College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Wynand Van Dyk

VP Engineering, R&D and Development

Dr. van Dyk is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience in minerals processing, metals refining, risk management, process optimization and project management. Prior to joining Itafos, Dr. van Dyk worked as a consultant for Arete Consultants in South Africa, providing strategic management consulting services to a long list of clients including Anglo American, African Rainbow Minerals, AngloGold Ashanti and De Beers, among others. Prior to joining Arete Consultants, Dr. van Dyk worked for Lonmin Platinum Ltd. in various positions including Senior Technical Manager – Process Division, Senior Manager – Base Metal Refinery, Senior Manager – 6 Sigma, and Metallurgical Project Manager. Dr. van Dyk has held the position of Adjunct Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University Engineering Faculty, Industrial Engineering Department, and Adjunct Professor at University of Cape Town Engineering and Built Environment Faculty. Dr. van Dyk holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering (Extractive Metallurgy) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering, both from the University of Stellenbosch.

Tim Vedder

VP Operations and General Manager Itafos Conda

Mr. Vedder is an operational leader with over 20 years of experience, including 10 years in phosphate production, 7 years in semiconductor production and research and development at Novellus Systems and 4 years as an Officer in the US Military. Prior to joining Itafos, Mr. Vedder held various leadership roles with Conda phosphate operations including Operations Engineer and Supervisor, Operations Superintendent, Plant Operations Manager, Mine Operations Manager and General Manager, which is responsible for all aspects of the business. He is active in the local community and is a Board Member of the United Way of Southeastern Idaho and the Idaho Governor’s Cup (Scholarship Foundation). Mr. Vedder holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Washington State University.

Fernando Planchart Padula

General Counsel and Secretary

Mr. Planchart is a senior executive with over 15 years of corporate, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, project financings and litigation experience. Prior to joining Itafos, Mr. Planchart worked as in-house senior counsel at AEI Services LLC, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, financing and development (including construction matters) of greenfield and brownfield projects in the energy sector. Earlier in his career, Mr. Planchart worked at international law firms in New York and Venezuela, focusing on litigation and corporate matters. Mr. Planchart holds a Juris Doctor from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Caracas, Venezuela) and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School.